The present invention relates generally to shooting sports utilizing firearms which discharge generally spherical pellets or “shot”, commonly referred to as shotguns, and, more particularly, to means and methods for collection and recovery of spent pellets at shooting ranges.
Shotgun sportsmen commonly practice their shooting skills as well as hold competitions at skeet, trap, sporting clay and other shooting ranges. The shotgun pellets or “shot” discharged by such firearms are largely comprised of lead, which is recognized to pose environmental as well as health hazards. Over time, the spent shotgun pellets discharged at shooting ranges progressively collect on and contaminate the grounds of shooting ranges, requiring periodic remediation or abatement of the contamination and devaluing the desirability and usefulness of the land for other purposes. Moreover, shotgun pellets that may be collected from the grounds for recycling and reuse are also devalued by impurities resulting from co-mingling with soil, vegetation and the like.
These environmental consequences have received increasing attention over recent years among firearms sporting organizations, firearms manufacturers, and governmental agencies responsible for environmental matters. To address such concerns, it has been proposed to erect so-called “curtain” devices at shooting ranges to intercept discharged shotgun pellets and redirect the pellets to fall into a trough or other collection container. Examples of such curtain devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,851,388 and 8,124,175. Such devices represent an important step forward in abating the environmental contamination occurring at shooting ranges, but the devices are relatively expensive. Hence, the need continues to exist for a simplified, reliable and inexpensive means of capturing shotgun pellets at shooting ranges.